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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: snap · date · firm · plane · ground · degree · court · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. firm — a company
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. plane — a tool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. snap — to click
  8. court — of law
  9. club — for golf
  10. date — the fruit
  11. court — of a king
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. firm — steady
  14. ground — crushed
  15. club — a group
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. ground — a position
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. firm — decided
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ground — the earth
  23. court — for sport
  24. degree — temperature

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com